Joey Cantillo Shuts Down Royals' Lineup, Propels Guardians to Convincing Win

Joey Cantillo has started off the 2026 campaign as one of Cleveland's best starting arms.

Through three starts and 14.2 innings on the mound, the 26-year-old has tossed a 2.45 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and .208 batting average. He's only allowed 18 players on the bags this season, 11 by hits and seven by walks, while striking out a strong 20 batters. That's the second-most strikeouts of anyone on the team.

And as of now, it doesn't look like he will be slowing down this level of play.

On Wednesday, April 8, Cantillo received the start on the mound for the Guardians in the series finale against the Kansas City Royals, pitching through 5.2 innings. He allowed three hits, two runs, one earned run and walked two batters. However, he tacked on a really strong nine strikeouts, showing good command and ability to get swings and misses.

"...Just with that delay in the first it could have spiraled Joey. That’s a long half inning," Vogt said in reference to the injury delay for Royals pitcher Cole Ragans. "But just with the way he finished, they made him work. They really made him work there in the middle innings. But to give us five and two-thirds on a day where we’re pretty thin in the bullpen going into an off day and then 13 in a row to come out of the off day, that was huge for Joey."

The Guardians were able to win the game, 10-2, with Cantillo's early-game control helping to keep the game together for Cleveland. The bats performed really well to support him, with 16 hits, four walks and 10 runs scored.

In each of the innings pitched on Wednesday, he was able to record a strikeout.

He finished the first inning with two strikeouts, sent down one in the second and one in the third, before striking out two more in the fourth inning. He then struck out three in the top of the fifth inning, before being taken out of the game the following inning.

To be able to routinely strike out batters, even when allowing a few hits or walks in between, shows good composure from Cantillo.

At times, that was something he lacked last season.

"[He's] more sure of himself," Vogt said when asked about the differences from last year to this year. "I think last year, Joey was really trying to find himself as a big league starter. And what we’ve seen so far, last September and now rolling into this year, is he knows who he is, and he knows what he needs to do to go compete.

"Like I said, that’s an outing that we’ve seen get away from Joey multiple times and didn’t today. And it’s real growth from him."

Some of the comfort seen by those on the mound, including Cantillo, to begin the new season for Cleveland, could be due to the veteran leadership of the Guardian behind home plate, Austin Hedges.

"I mean, we talk about it a lot, but not enough, the value that Hedgie brings to our team," Vogt said in a recent press conference. "You know, not only behind the plate, at the plate, in the clubhouse. He’s swinging the bat really well right now. But his IQ behind the plate, his ability to read swings, call a game, read the pitcher, know his pitchers, he gets those guys through their outings."

Across his three years in the big leagues, Cantillo has only hit nine or more strikeouts in just three games, one on Wednesday and the other back on August 3, 2025, in a matchup against the Minnesota Twins. His career high was 10, which came in a game against the Chicago White Sox back in late 2024.

Currently, he's on pace to have a career-high in total strikeouts, strikes per nine innings and strikeout percentage.

For a player who really couldn't find his footing back in 2025, and was on the chopping block to lose his rotational spot heading into 2026, there really couldn't be a much better start.

As long as he can continue to cut down on walks allowed, which is something that other Guardians starters like Gavin Williams have dealt with this year, he'll be able to provide the team with stable pitching early in games.

Cantillo's next start is projected to be on Tuesday, April 14, in a road matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals.